USBEE out of business

[wguibas]

Just went on USBee's website and it says they have gone out of business as of 9/10/2015.

http://www.usbee.com/company.htm

[MadDog]

Yeah, that's really sad. I do a lot of SPI, IIC,... debugging with these devices. I like the usabilty of their PC software.
I think the market was flooded with cheap clones. Maybe the chinese clone makers step in and provide an alternative software. 

[quantalume]

Making and selling the USBee Test Pods has been a rewarding and exciting adventure, but not without its challenges.

Would one of those challenges be the relentless onslaught of Chinese clones? Will Saleae be next?

[Wilksey]

I wonder if someone will buy them up or if they will open source.

[chicken]

Might make for an interesting interview on AmpHour.

[smgvbest]

That's a shame,  I bought a USBee DX Testpod years ago and love it.  Went and grabbed the latest software.
Looks like they do plan to support existing users for now.   Wish I had picked up the QX when I had the chance

[MadDog]

Wish I had picked up the QX when I had the chance

I ordered one last month. The distributor told me that they would go out of business but it was still possible to order one. Support would be available until Sept. 2016.
So not a big deal, this thing would last a couple of years. When it arrived I realized that the additional option I ordered for the USB Suite can only be activated online via server!
They couldn't provide an offline actived software version, so I have returned it...

[smgvbest]

Wish I had picked up the QX when I had the chance

I ordered one last month. The distributor told me that they would go out of business but it was still possible to order one. Support would be available until Sept. 2016.
So not a big deal, this thing would last a couple of years. When it arrived I realized that the additional option I ordered for the USB Suite can only be activated online via server!
They couldn't provide an offline actived software version, so I have returned it...

Are you talking about the USBee Pro Suite?
I contacted them and had them email me the activation key for it.  it was tied to the ID of the DX.
Maybe the QX is different

[MadDog]

Maybe the QX is different

Unfortunately yes. I'm already using the USB Suite Pro for the ZX. But the additional features for the QX Suite can only be activated online.

[firmwareguy]

Just saw that USBee is selling a new version of their original software that works on all clones with all features unlocked!  www.usbee.com

[cdev]

I would be very interested in hearing from somebody who is using this, especially how it compares with Sigrok.

. I have a device which could likely use it. I would pay $20 for a professional well maintained logic analyzer program that works with my clone.

$20 is within my budget, assuming its not a subscription model.

[aandrew]

Would one of those challenges be the relentless onslaught of Chinese clones? Will Saleae be next?

Let's be real here for a second.

The first gen of USBee and Saleaes were *literally* nothing more than an FX2LP devkit with a different USB VID/PID. Literally. You can buy the $3 dev board off any supplier, use their software and there was no difference whatsoever.

That, my friends, isn't someone "stealing your idea" -- that is you being absolutely stupid and in such a rush to get to market you fail to basic, basic IP protection.

I bought a real, honest-to-God USBee SX. The software was shit. The promise of multiplatform never came, and the promise of file formats and plugins never came. I should've bought a Saleae. I remember the internal (as in, in my head) debate over which to buy. I bet on the wrong horse.

Saleae fixed things with their new analyzers. I have one sitting on my desk right beside me. Great hardware and they have *always* had amazing software. They learned their lesson quickly and moved on. Their business prospered. I'm very, very happy for them and will continue to use their products.

USBee didn't die because of the clones. They died because they failed to innovate, failed to deliver on promises made to their customers and ultimately stay relevant in a rapidly evolving market.

[aandrew]

I would be very interested in hearing from somebody who is using this, especially how it compares with Sigrok.

I love my saleae, and I love their software. Sometimes it's just better to be able to use the command line though, and that is where I love being able to use sigrok. Saleae's protocol analyzers are ok, but far from ideal. They get the job done but the export functionality, particularly with multiple decoders going, is hopeless. With sigrok it's pretty easy to peel out what you want and format it with command line fu.

Nothing I've used beats Saleae for basic ease of use though. They did a fantastic job on their software.

[trevwhite]

The USBEE software has worked fine for me. I cant say I used it within an inch of its life but it worked fine.

For $20 I think its a fantastic price. You never get one tool that does everything you want but you get a lot for $20 from the USBEE software.

 

[scopeman]

Looks like USBee is back in business?

https://www.usbee.com/qx.html

Sam
W3OHM

[rvalente]

Making and selling the USBee Test Pods has been a rewarding and exciting adventure, but not without its challenges.

Would one of those challenges be the relentless onslaught of Chinese clones? Will Saleae be next?

Im a global world where the chinese is always making your life harder, they are in dangerous.

But to be honest, although I really like their products, we have to agree is really expensive. 400 bucks for their modest device is to much, and I know most of the cost is in the software development and you get life time upgrades..

Maybe they need to reevaluate their policies...

[cdev]

The screen and trace looks much easier to read than Logic.

[thm_w]

Looks like USBee is back in business?

https://www.usbee.com/qx.html

Specs are good, amazing "all in one", but it is $1500. https://www.usbee.com/index.html#buy

For less than half you that could buy dslogic u3pro and dscope u3p100. Although you'd get a few less channels, etc.

[maginnovision]

1500$ seems low on value.